The Greatest Thing
by fadedelegance
Summary: Sequel to "Double Date". T for language. Connie and Jack share and friendly conversation at a bar. Cutterosa romance follows!


**Disclaimer: Dick Wolf and NBC own "Law and Order". I don't.**

** A/N: So I love the mentor/protégée relationship Jack and Connie have. I think it's really sweet how he looks out for her like a father figure. I enjoy writing scenes where they talk, so that's where this fic came from. Also, it's a sequel to "Double Date" and the sixth installment in my little series. C-:**

**Enjoy the fluff, my dears! **

**For Dick Wolf, Sam Waterston, Jill Hennessy, Alana de la Garza, Linus Roache, and my super killer-awesome readers! ~Abby**

**The Greatest Thing**

Setting: October 2010

After calling it a day at work, Jack and Connie decided to go out for drinks at the nearest bar, the favorite hang-out of Manhattan's cops and prosecutors. The two of them sat adjacent to each other on stools at the front counter.

"It's not often we get the chance to do this," Jack said good-naturedly.

"You're right, it's not," Connie agreed pleasantly.

"How nice of the criminals to give us a break!" Jack joked with a smile.

Connie chuckled.

"Indeed," she said.

Just then, Rick the bartender approached them after serving a different group of patrons their drinks.

"Hey, Jack! Hey, Connie!" he greeted them.

"Hi, Rick!" Jack and Connie returned in unison.

"You want your usual, Jack?" asked Rick.

"I do, thanks!" Jack replied.

"What about you, Connie?" asked Rick.

"I'll have a Bailey's, please, Rick," Connie answered.

"I'll have those right out for you," said Rick.

"Speaking of 'I do'," Connie said, referring to Jack's answer to Rick, "I can't wait for Anita's wedding. It's gonna be so beautiful."

Lieutenant Van Buren's wedding to her fiancé Frank was taking place the upcoming Saturday.

"Yeah, it is," Jack agreed. "Thanks, Rick," he added, as Rick set a scotch on the rocks down on the counter in front of him.

Connie thanked Rick when he served her drink to her.

She swallowed a sip of it, and then said, "God, that woman has been through so much. She's been through hell and back. It's time for her to be happy."

"I'll drink to that," Jack agreed, raising his glass and taking a swig of scotch.

"She beat one of the worst diseases in the world, and now she's going to have a future with the love of her life. I'm so happy for her," Connie said compassionately.

"A future with the love of her life…" Jack said. "I'd tell her never to take that for granted, but she won't."

"Aw, Jack," Connie said comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," Jack said softly. "It's just that with Anita's wedding getting closer…she's been on my mind…"

Connie laid a comforting hand on his arm.

"Jack," she said consolingly, "I would have no heart if I told you you're wrong or foolish to be thinking of Claire right now. There is _nothing wrong_ with that. Of course knowing someone who's about to marry their significant other makes you think of Claire—that's what you wanted with_ her_."

"You're absolutely right—that _is_ what I wanted with her…" Jack said softly.

He sighed and stared down at his scotch for a moment before finishing it up and ordering another one.

Connie patted his arm.

"Do you believe in heaven, Connie?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Connie replied earnestly. "And you know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think Claire is there, and I think she's been looking out for you. And I also think she's very proud of you for working so hard and for running for D.A.—as well as for keeping in touch with your daughter and for looking out for everyone who works for you…I think she's very proud of you."

"I hope so," Jack said quietly. "I feel like the best way to honor her memory is by continuing to be the best attorney I can be—and by continuing to speak out against reckless driving."

"I bet she appreciates all that very much," Connie said with a warm smile.

"I feel like it's the least I can do for her," said Jack. "I'd just like to think she's been at peace."

"She has, Jack. You've got to believe that," Connie said warmly.

Jack nodded as he listened to her.

"You're right," he said.

"Jack, no one expects you to forget her," Connie went on. "You're not supposed to. You loved her. You shared a powerful bond with her, so of course you're thinking of her right now. She's to you what Frank is to Anita—what Mike is to me. You _loved_ her…I actually believe loss is something you never get over. If you never stop mourning Claire, there's nothing wrong with that. No one should expect you to stop, anyway."

"Thank you, Connie, for being so understanding," said Jack. "I hate to be such a downer—may as well get it all out of my system now, though, because I'd hate for Anita and Frank to see me like this. They need to see me happy."

"Jack, what did I just get through telling you? You can't expect yourself to grieve a certain way," Connie said gently. "Besides, if Anita and Frank knew, they'd understand, believe me. They would _definitely_ understand. How long do you think they were afraid they wouldn't get to be together because of the cancer? Actually…_I _kind of understand…Remember when that bastard Marty Winston almost shot and killed Mike? I was _terrified_. I could've lost him…"

"You make a very good point…But the four of you got lucky. Anita's fine, Mike is fine…Claire isn't," said Jack.

He took a drink of scotch.

"When I was in school, I had to read this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I'd forgotten all about it until Claire passed away, strangely enough. It's called 'The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls'. It talks about how grief is like a tide. The feeling comes and goes in waves. Some days you really feel it, other days you don't. That is so true…"

"It is, it really is," Connie agreed.

"And sometimes I really feel angry, you know? What the hell did Claire ever do to deserve such a thing? Nothing. She was cheated out of a long, happy life. She deserved that—but it was stolen from her…And I was robbed of the love of my life…I will never get over how unfair that is."

Connie patted his shoulder.

"No one expects you to," she said.

"Sometimes I feel guilty about feeling this way—like I shouldn't be sad that she's gone but happy that I even knew her at all…and not sad that our relationship was cut short but happy that it even happened at all," Jack said, taking another drink of scotch.

"No," Connie said kindly, "the hell with that. You have every right to feel bereaved."

Jack sighed.

"Thank you, Connie. You're very easy to talk to—one of many things I respect about you," he then said.

Connie smiled appreciatively.

"That's what Mike says," she said. "Except he says that's one of many things he loves about me."

Jack gave a kind smile.

"You know I realized one thing I can do is be happy for Anita and Frank—for you and Mike…And I am, I really am. I'm very happy you've all found what I found with Claire. There's nothing else like it in the world," he said.

"There really isn't," Connie agreed. "You know—one thing you can do to help yourself is remember all the good times you shared with her," she added.

"That's very true," Jack said.

"What was your favorite thing to do together? What did you do for fun?"

"Lots of things…just talking…going for walks in the park…playing Trivial Pursuit…" Jack replied.

"You guys get competitive?" Connie asked, smirking a little.

"Very," Jack said, chuckling. "Every time before we'd start playing, she'd always say she was gonna kick my ass."

Connie chuckled.

"Mike and I have some pretty competitive chess games," she said.

Jack snickered.

"I bet he's a sore loser," he said.

Connie smiled.

"Oh it's not just him, I am, too," she said. "Did you know he played chess in high school—on a team?"

"No, I didn't," Jack said, intrigued.

"Yeah. He's pretty good, actually," said Connie.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, who'd have thought," Jack said. "I thought it was all baseball with him."

Connie smiled.

"He's a really interesting person, actually—you should get to know him better," she said.

"I just might ask him to join me for a beer every now and then," Jack said.

"He'd like that, Jack. He really would," Connie said warmly.

"Well then, perhaps I'll just extend the offer," said Jack. "I enjoyed getting to know Claire—just the way you're enjoying getting to know Mike."

"You have to learn to see past the surface with him—past what I call the 'hard-ass prosecutor exterior'. He really is a very sweet and loving man," said Connie.

"You don't have to convince me. I know Mike's a good guy," Jack said. "Don't be silly, Connie," he added with a kind smile.

Connie smiled.

"What did you love most about Claire?" she then asked.

Jack sighed.

"I loved everything about her," he said. "Her smile, her laugh, how smart she was, how talented of a lawyer she was, how clever she was…her sense of humor…Did I ever tell you that she could sing?"

"No, you didn't," Connie said, interested.

"Yeah, she could…Sometimes, when we were in my office, working independently, she would just sing under her breath. I don't even think she realized she was doing it. But it sounded lovely—it really did…I don't even think I ever told her that…" Jack said.

He and Connie sipped their drinks in silence for a little bit.

Then Jack spoke.

"You know—she was a huge football fan," he said, smiling as he reminisced.

"Really?" Connie asked, also smiling.

"Yes. I'd be over at her apartment, and she'd turn on a Giants game, and she would holler and swear and get all engrossed…Claire _loved_ football. It was very endearing to watch, you know?"

"Oh definitely! I know what you mean. It's like being around Mike when he's watching baseball," Connie said, chuckling.

Jack chuckled.

"I'm sure it is!" he said.

"He gets really into it," Connie said, smiling. "He yells at the TV and makes comments and stuff. He'll say things like, 'What? That was in the strike zone, you idiot! You're standing right behind the plate, pay attention!' He gets _very_ into it. It's so endearing," she elaborated.

Jack chuckled again.

"Why am I not surprised?" he said.

Connie smiled.

"Speaking of baseball, I got him a present. I had to save up and scrounge for a while, but I managed to get them," she said. "He won't be getting another gift for quite a while, but that won't faze him at all once he sees them," she added.

"What did you get him?"

"Well—he doesn't know this yet, but he and I are going to the first game of the World Series in two weeks," Connie said warmly.

"Aw, Connie," Jack said kindly, smiling. "He's going to just _love_ that."

Connie smiled.

"I hope so," she said. "I've got our hotel reservations made, too."

"Are you kidding?" Jack said in that same kind tone. "That is just going to put him on cloud nine. You are going to make him_ so_ happy…So when are you going to reveal this incredible surprise?"

"Well, we have a dinner date tomorrow evening, so I figured then," Connie replied good-naturedly.

She suddenly smirked.

"I think I'm going to string him along a bit," she said, taking her phone out of her purse. "Bug him that I have a surprise for him."

She texted him: _Hi!_

A few moments later, her phone beeped.

'_Hi! (-:'_ was Mike's reply.

"So guess what?" Connie said as she texted the words.

A bit later—

Connie snorted in amusement as she read his reply.

"_'Enlighten me. What?'_…I have a surprise for you," she said her reply as she typed it.

A bit later—

"_'What is it?'_" she read his response. "Guess," she said, replying back.

Then—

"_'You won the lottery?_'" she read his reply, smiling and shaking her head. "Nope. Strike one, Cutter," she said as she texted the words.

Jack chuckled.

Then—

Connie snorted in amusement again.

"_'Ouch…Let's see…You won an all-expenses-paid vacation, and you're taking me with you?'_" she read his reply. "Sorry—no," she said as she texted the words.

A bit later—

She laughed lightly at Mike's next text message.

"_'You've discovered the meaning of life?'_" she read.

Jack smiled.

Connie laughed lightly again.

"Even I'm not _that_ good. You know what?" she said as she typed, answering Mike's text.

A bit later, Mike's response came.

"_'What?'_" Connie read aloud. "You suck at guessing," she said as she texted him the words, bantering with him.

She was smirking.

She then chuckled at Mike's bantering response.

"_'Well, you suck at giving hints!_'"

Then—

"Well, you never asked for any hints, so there!" Connie joked with a snicker as she texted him back.

She snickered again when she read his response: "_'Touché…So when do I get to find out what this surprise is? I'm on edge already! I can barely take the tension!'_"

Jack chuckled.

"Claire would tease me like that all the time," he said.

Connie smiled.

"Yeah, Mike and I banter like this about ninety-eight percent of the time," she said. "Are you taking anyone to the wedding with you?"

"I think Ilene feels bad for me, so she offered to go with me," Jack replied, referring to his secretary.

"Jack, you're a great boss, a great mentor, and a great friend. I doubt she asked you out of pity. She's just being friendly. Nobody likes to go to special events alone!" Connie said good-naturedly.

"That's true," said Jack.

The two of them drank in silence for a few moments.

Then—

"Forgive me if this is prying, but do you think you and Mike will ever reach that point?" asked Jack.

"Meaning do I think I'll ever marry him?" Connie asked.

"Yeah," said Jack.

"Oh yeah," Connie said, smiling. "It'll happen. We haven't talked about it, but I think we both know in our hearts that it's going to happen. We're taking our relationship a day at a time, but we do know."

"I truly am very happy for you both," Jack said sincerely. "I can just see that there's a lot of love between the two of you."

Connie smiled again.

"There is—you're right," she confirmed. "Basically—I've loved him since the day we met."

"I'm sure that's how it happened for him, too," Jack said warmly, smiling. "You know—that's how I fell in love with Claire. I walked into Adam's office, and there she was. It was my first day in the D.A.'s office. Adam introduced us to each other, we said 'hi' and 'nice to meet you'…Then we shook hands…That was all it took for me."

"That's how it was with Mike and I," Connie said. "Remember, I walked into your office, and the two of you were talking…and then you went on your lunch break and left us to make introductions. So we did. And that's when it happened. I made eye contact with him, and that was all it took for me to know that I would connect with him. Of course, for the longest time, I denied how I feel—kept trying to convince myself that he wasn't making me feel how it really feels to be in love with another person. I thought I'd experienced that before back in California, but oh, did he prove me wrong. I mean, I did love my ex—I was with him for five years, and me moving to New York was the reason we broke up. That hurt a lot, it really did, and a small part of me will always love him. But I tell you, Jack—one good look into Mike's eyes, and I was a goner."

"Well you women really should have mercy on we poor men," Jack said with a chuckle. "Claire just knocked me on my face!"

"Hey, it goes both ways!" Connie said, smiling. "The day I met Mike, it was like 'wave that white flag, Connie, because you just surrendered'!"

Jack smiled.

"I'm glad I got the chance to tell Claire how hard I fell for her," he said.

"Me, too," said Connie. "And I've told Mike how hard I fell for him. He just lit up, I felt so flattered," she added, smiling. "Where'd you go for your first date with Claire?" she asked.

"We went to an upscale Italian place," Jack replied fondly. "And that same night was the first time we kissed, too. I just initiated it, and she didn't mind at all."

"Me and Mike's first kiss was back in June at Tom's wedding reception," Connie said, recalling when she and Mike had attended their fellow ADA's wedding, and the two of them had confessed their true feelings for each other. "And I was the initiator," she added with a smile.

"Hey, it's the twenty-first century!" Jack said.

"Right! Plus," Connie went on, melting, "he'd just told me he loves me."

Jack smiled again.

"That's wonderful," he said.

Connie smiled again.

"So who said it first in your case, you or Claire?" she asked.

"I did," Jack replied. "And hearing her say it back? That was just…incredible. She smiled at me and then she said it back. I will never forget that. Knowing that your feelings are returned? God, there's no greater feeling. I know Mike would agree," he added.

"I agree, too," said Connie. "I mean, when you say the words, there you are, bearing your soul pretty much…offering the greatest gift you can give—the gift of yourself—and saying something that, once you've said, you can't take back. There you are making yourself vulnerable in every sense of the word—taking one of the biggest risks you'll ever take. So to learn that the feeling is mutual? Yeah, it definitely is incredible."

She then picked up her phone and texted Mike: _I love you, Mike Cutter._

"I truly believe love is the greatest thing human beings do," she added.

Her phone suddenly beeped, signaling her receipt of Mike's reply message.

She smiled when she read it: _I love YOU, Connie Rubirosa._

"You are absolutely right, Connie," Jack said, patting her shoulder. "It is."

###

**Epilogue**

Mike and Connie were out on their dinner date.

"How was court today?" Connie asked him, swallowing a sip of wine and smiling.

"Your text cheered me up," Mike said with a smile.

He'd been having a particularly rough time in court that week. That morning, Connie had sent him a text that said _'Good luck today! I love you! :-)'_

"I'm glad," Connie said warmly. "So how was it?"

"It was better today. You helped me feel more confident," Mike said gratefully, smiling again.

He gently grasped her hand.

Connie smiled at him and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

"Is your opponent scarier than me?" she quipped.

"No," Mike joked.

He then smiled more broadly at her, his dimples showing.

Connie smiled and shook her head. However, whenever he smiled at her like that, she always felt a rush.

"But seriously, this guy's tough," Mike said.

"Jack went up against him a couple times," said Connie. "He always seemed like a real prick: high opinion of himself, sleazebag, all that."

"I think you're right," Mike said.

He sighed.

"I'm sorry to unload on you like this, Connie," he said.

"Mike, it's no problem!" Connie reassured him kindly. "You caught a very difficult case, which led to an even more difficult trial! You've got to talk to _someone_ about it! And you know—I've heard your girlfriend's a pretty good listener," she added light-heartedly with a playful smile.

Mike gave another smile, his dimples showing again.

Connie melted.

"She is, actually. In fact, she's my number one confidante," Mike said sweetly.

Connie gave him the smile she saved only for him and gave his hand another affectionate squeeze.

"You know you can turn this trial around, right?" she asked him. "It's not too late. There's still time."

"I really needed that," Mike said gratefully.

"Hey—what are girlfriends for?" said Connie.

"The same goes for boyfriends," said Mike. "How are you doing?"

"Well, the Richards case saga continues," Connie said flatly, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, if that stupid son-of-a-bitch doesn't take your deal, he's a bigger idiot than I thought," said Mike. "That offer is beyond generous. And you gave him thirty-six hours to make up his mind. I would've given him until the end of the day."

"I know," Connie said with a playful smirk. "Actually, that was all Allison. I only wanted to give him twenty-four hours…Speaking of taking time to make up your mind, I'm giving you your surprise now, and I know it'll take you zero time to make up your mind about it."

"I remember you texting me about it," Mike said. "What's the occasion?" he asked.

Connie shrugged.

"Nothing in particular," she said. "Are we limited to special occasions when it comes to doting on each other?" she added with a smile.

Mike smiled.

"I guess we aren't," he agreed sweetly.

Connie smiled at him and then picked her purse up from off the floor beside her chair. She fished around in it for a moment and then took out a slender white box with a blue ribbon tied neatly around it.

"This is for you—just because I love you," she told Mike, handing the box to him.

"I love you, too," Mike said sweetly, taking the box.

He untied the ribbon and opened it.

His jaw dropped when he saw that he was in possession of two tickets to the first game of the World Series.

"Holy _shit!_" he exclaimed.

A few people seated around them turned and stared at him. Some of them looked offended by his language.

He took no notice.

"Connie…how the hell did you _manage_ these? And this game is in San Francisco! I can't imagine how much this cost you! How the hell did you pull this off? I mean, these are expensive as hell, and then there's the hotel and the plane tickets…_how the hell?_... Connie, I already know how much you love me, you don't have to do this! I…I don't know if I can accept this! It's so extravagant…Connie, we live off public servant salaries, just…_how?_"

"Mike, it's all right," Connie said warmly. "The idea came to me right after we got together, so I've been saving up some money for a while now. Plus, I made our hotel reservations through Expedia, and I have frequent flier miles, so that helped knock the cost down. I haven't fallen into destitution, Mike. It's okay."

She smiled at him.

"It really is all right, Mike. I'm giving you this gift because I love you, and I know we'll have a good time. We can bond more," she said.

Mike melted at those words.

"Yeah, we can," he said softly.

Connie smiled.

"So are you game, then?" she asked.

Mike gave a sweet smile.

"Yeah," he said.

He gently grasped her hand.

Connie gave his hand an affectionate squeeze, smiling warmly.

###


End file.
